QuyenStobie2 at 05:43, 7 May 2026

2026-05-07T05:43:08Z

New page

{{Short description|Fort in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Keoti Fort
| partof = [[Madhya Pradesh]], {{flag|India}}
| location = [[Rewa District]], Madhya Pradesh, India
| image = Front Left Outer SE View Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08736.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Keoti Fort, front and south side, ca. 2024
| map_type = India Madhya Pradesh
| map_relief = yes
| map_size =
| map_caption = Keoti fort within [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| type = [[Fort]]
| coordinates = {{coord|24.81714|81.45725|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| code =
| built =
| builder =
| materials =
| height =
| used =
| demolished =
| condition = dilapidated
| ownership =
| open_to_public = yes
| controlledby =
| garrison =
| current_commander =
| commanders =
| occupants =
| battles =
| events =
| image2 =
| caption2 =
}}

'''Keoti Fort''' (also '''Keonti Fort''') is an Indian fortress ''([[qila]])'' situated on the [[Rewa Plateau]] about {{convert|53|km}} north-east of the city of [[Rewa, Madhya Pradesh|Rewa]], in [[Rewa district]] in the [[India]]n state of [[Madhya Pradesh]].

== History ==
Keoti Fort is said to have been constructed by Raja Parmal Dev in 1500 AD.<ref name=RewaRiyasat>{{Cite news |last=Baghel |first=V.S. |date=20 January 2023 |title=प्राकृतिक सुन्दरता और इतिहास को समेटे हुए है रीवा का 'क्यूटी फोर्ट', प्रशासनिक उपेक्षा से खो रहा वजूद (Rewa's 'Keoti Fort' boasts natural beauty and history, being lost due to administrative neglect) |url=https://www.rewariyasat.com/rewa/rewas-keoti-fort-boasts-of-natural-beauty-and-history-being-lost-due-to-administrative-neglect-101272 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=RewaRiyasat.com}}</ref> mentioned in an account of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel, a prominent leaders of the 1857 revolt in [[Rewa (princely state)|Rewa State]], (Baghelkhand) went into hiding in Keoti Fort and later on fought a battle in Keoti Fort with the British. In an encounter at the fort, he defeated the British army and also killed a British officer who had come to arrest him. Eventually, he was planning to surrender at the urging of the [[Rewa (princely state)|Maharaja Raghuraj Singh Baghel]] of Rewa under the intense pressure from British authorities. However Diwan Dinbandhu Pandey of Rewa acted as an informant for the British, which led to the capture of Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel by the British authorities. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel was arrested, and hanged in 1860 for the murder of the British officer. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel was Sardar (commander) in the army of Maharaja Raghuraj Singh Baghel of Rewa and he was also a descendent of Kothi Royal Family (Kothi Princely State, Satna).

Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel was hanged by the British authorities for his active role in the Revolt of 1857 against British rule in the Baghelkhand region. He led armed resistance, organized rebel forces, and challenged British control in Baghelkhand and nearby territories. The British considered him a major rebel leader because he attacked colonial positions and supported the wider uprising against the East India Company. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Thakur Ranmat Singh |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2820033 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121154306/https://indianculture.gov.in/node/2820033 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=[[Ministry of Culture (India)]] |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Srivastava |first=A.C. |date=1961 |title=THAKUR RANMAT SINGH OF REWA [Summary] |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44140758.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3Acf4b241e6be0fa91bcd7069928558ce8&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&origin=&initiator=search-results&acceptTC=1 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=24 |pages=224–225 |publisher=[[Indian History Congress]]}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Keoti Fort is situated on the Rewa Plateau near the northern end of the [[Vindhya Range|Vindhya Escarpment]].<ref name=Hawkes2014>{{Cite journal |last=Hawkes |first=J.D. |date=25 March 2014 |title=One Size Does Not Fit All: Landscapes of Religious Change in Vindhya Pradesh |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02666030.2014.892370 |journal=South Asian Studies |publisher=[[Routledge]] |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=2-3}}</ref> The fort is built on the right bank of a ravine that the Mahana River has cut into the escarpment. The {{cvt|98|m|ft|abbr=on}} high [[Keoti Falls]] is on the opposite side of the ravine, visible from the northern part of the fort. The elevation of Keoti Fort is {{cvt|280|m|ft|abbr=on}} above mean sea level.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Keoti Fort is about {{cvt|53|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the city of Rewa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rewa-Keoti Fort route |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_car&route=24.5359%2C81.2934%3B24.8177%2C81.4562#map=11/24.6857/81.3479&layers=C |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=[[OpenStreetMap]]}}</ref> The nearest airport is located at [[Prayagraj Airport|Prayagraj (Allahabad)]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]], a distance of {{cvt|114|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prayagraj (Allahabad) Airport - Keoti Fort route |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_car&route=25.4369%2C81.7342%3B24.8177%2C81.4562#map=10/25.1279/81.6579&layers=C |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=[[OpenStreetMap]]}}</ref>

== Architecture ==
[[File:Entrance East Keoti Fort Rewa MP Jan24 A7C 08735.jpg|thumb|left|Entrance in the east facade]]
[[File:Loophole Closeup Keoti Fort Rewa MP Jan24 A7C 08774.jpg|thumb|Loophole with 3 angles of fire]]
[[File:East Wall Inside Plateau Outside Keoti Fort Jan24 A7C 08789.jpg|thumb|left|North-east wall with loopholes facing the flat plateau]]
The west wall of the fort runs along the Mahana ravine for about {{cvt|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The south wall extends about {{cvt|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} east from the ravine. The east wall with the main entrance is about {{cvt|40|m|ft|abbr=on}} long. There after, the fort depth narrows to about {{cvt|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} at the northern end of the fort. The total area enclosed by the walls is about {{cvt|1.0|ha|acre|abbr=on}}. Towers are located at the corners of the outer walls.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The construction material is stone and clay mortar. [[Embrasure|Loopholes]] with three angles of fire are built into the outer walls at regular intervals and at various heights. These are useful for defense against enemy coming across the flat plateau.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

== Tourism ==
[[File:Ornamental Wall Entrance Keoti Fort Jan24 A7C 08798.jpg|thumb|Ornamental tiles near he east entrance]]
The fort is open to the public. Entrance is free (January 2024).{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Fairs are held annually which attract many people. The carvings and stone artefacts, the natural beauty and the view of the Keoti Falls across the gorge behind the fort are attractions that draw visitors.<ref name=RewaRiyasat />

== Controversies ==
In 2016, the MP Government denotified the fort as a "protected heritage site" and transferred it to the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to be developed as a heritage hotel. In July 2021, the MP Tourism Board issued a tender for development of the Keoti Fort.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://tourism.mp.gov.in/Uploaded%20Document/Tenders/130720210257112_RFP_Kyoti_fort_Rewa.pdf |title=Request for Proposal for Development of Heritage Hotel at Kyoti Fort, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh |date=9 July 2021 |publisher=Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref> However, it was reported that the fort had not been leased out and was falling into a state of disrepair.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shukla |first=A. |date=16 March 2023 |title=Years after plan to develop ‘protected’ heritage sites as hotels, 7 still in ‘Madhya Pradesh of utter neglect’: CAG report |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> A local news report claims that the fort is being neglected by the administration and is frequented by petty criminals. These factors may deter tourists.<ref name=RewaRiyasat />

== Popular culture ==
The Hindi movie Bindhi aur Bandook (1972) was shot at Keoti Fort.<ref name=RewaRiyasat />

== Gallery ==
=== Exterior views ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px">
File:Front Facade Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08740.jpg|Front (east) facade
File:Front Right Outer NE View Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08738.jpg|Front and north side
File:SE Tower Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08737.jpg|Tower on south-east corner
File:Mahana Gorge Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08748.jpg|Gorge of the Mahana River behind the fort
</gallery>

=== Interior views ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px">
File:Inside South Wall Keoti Fort Madhya Pradesh Jan24 A7C 08785.jpg|Inside south-west part, tower overlooking the ravine, loopholes near the top of the wall
File:North Part Inside Keoti Fort Rewa Jan24 A7C 08786.jpg|Northern inside of the fort: ravine on left, north wall in centre, east wall on right
File:Loophole Keoti Fort Rewa MP Jan24 A7C 08776.jpg|Loophole in outer wall for firearms
File:Grinding Stone Keoti Fort MP Jan24 A7C 08761.jpg|Grinding stone inside the fort
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of forts in Madhya Pradesh]]
* [[Keoti Falls]]

== References ==
{{Commons category}}
{{reflist}}

{{Forts in India}}
{{Forts in Madhya Pradesh}}

{{coord|21.4710|76.2937|display=title}}

[[Category:Forts in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Rewa district]]

Keoti Fort - Revision history

QuyenStobie2 at 05:43, 7 May 2026